The Ultimate Mrs Uchiha
by i N k '-' C r 0 w
Summary: "Let me frickin' go or heaven help you because I will not think twice about ruining that pretty face of yours! This may be a diner, but Teuchi's dealt with stuck-up, misunderstood guys like you before!" Yes, you could say that this is one of the most quirky clichéd stories of all time with a few twisty bits added in, courtesy of Naruto and the gang. AU. SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ultimate Mrs Uchiha  
****By iNk'-'Cr0w & TORISHIRO**

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Hello! It's iNk'-'Cr0w! Now before you kill me for potential plagiarism, let me say that I'm aware of other people having stories very similar to this. I also know that this is quite the clichéd love story where the diner Cinderella meets the handsome rich prince and I might've failed at the storyline of this since it's a sort of modernisation of Naruto + gang's story! Thus, there might be a bit of Ooc-ness with the main 3.

**Torishiro:**** Crow, if you get flamed for this story, it just shows that you should really be working on your **_**other stories**_**, Y'KNOW? Big emphasis right there. **

I know, but I gotta write these while I have the gist of the story, Y'KNOW? Anyway, I do apologise if there are stories similar to this one and credits go to their rightful owners because it's been thanks to our own blood and sweat that the stories have been made possible. Please let me know what you think, and if you'd like, you can check out my other fic :) Now, Torishiro please?

**Torishiro: *****sighs* "We do not own Naruto" or any other relatively similar story.**

(I apologise for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes, etc.)

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**Summary:**

Sakura Haruno: 19 year old waitress swimming in individuality and living an exceedingly poor commoner's life. Entitled to wait tables at the local diner to support herself. Independent and feisty.

Sasuke Uchiha: 20 year old multi-billionaire and younger brother of Itachi Uchiha of the Uchiha Industries. Currently living a life of complete luxury and comfort. Entitled to the position of CEO of the family business on the condition that he marries a "dirty-mouthed, pink haired minx of a waitress". Cold and arrogant.

Yes, you could say that this is one of the most quirky clichéd stories of all time with a few twisty bits added in, courtesy of Naruto and the gang. AU. SasuSaku.

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**Chapter 1**

**{Sakura's POV}**

Independence has always been a big part of my life. Not once in my 19 years on earth did I think I'd ever let that independence slip away from me and go unnoticed. Independence has been practically engraved into my life from the very beginning and is still a part of it every single day. Waking up alone in the house early every morning to the sound of my beat-up old alarm clock was a reminder of that.

Freshening up and energizing myself with the daily dose of caffeine helped set me into a good mood and get ready for work. The measly breakfast that was all that my small kitchen could produce did little to dampen my mood as I left home. Now don't get me wrong. I know it's completely unhealthy to not have a proper breakfast, but after years of living this lifestyle, it's pretty much the norm for me now and money has always been a tight budget.

Speaking of which, my pay check would be coming in a few days. The thought of work made me speed up my pace and I soon saw the familiar building of the diner up ahead. I work at Ichiraku's Diner & Bar. As a waitress, my shifts are from 6-11am in the morning and 11-3 for the afternoon. While it had been rumoured to be a cheap, messy place, Ichiraku's was a leisurely diner that served a neat range of food with good service and they paid their employees fairly well.

I missed the place when I went overseas for advanced studies with a business woman called Tsunade. While I had enjoyed learning all that I could abroad, I rushed back to Ichiraku's and ask Teuchi – the head chef and owner, for the job again because without it, I wouldn't be able to support myself.

Today's first unexpected moment was when Ayame – Teuchi's daughter, came into the kitchen where I was waiting for the orders and said that _Mr Uchiha _had called for me specifically. I found that strange because Itachi Uchiha came to the diner often and was known well enough around Ichiraku's that he could be referred to by his first name. It was only around 30 minutes past 6 am in the morning and it was strange that he was here so early when he usually stopped by in the afternoon. But then again, he hadn't been in for a few weeks so there must be a reason for the change.

I finished my drink and headed out to Itachi's favourite seat in the lounge by the window.

"Oh, Saku, he's over there," Ayame said as she walked past, nodding in the opposite direction where the tables were on the other side of the room. I gave her a questioning look as she shrugged, eyes flitting to that direction nervously.

"Ok…" I said and turned to walk in that way. Weird… but he had come in early and called for me specifically, so I pushed away the feeling of suspicion and continued walking.

"Sakura!" A sluggish voice said before I felt a smack on my butt as I walked past an especially rowdy table. I looked back caught Jiraiya with a smile on his face. He was one of our regulars here and he never failed to flirt no matter how young the waitresses here were. He was also a surprisingly successful smut novelist who happened to know Tsunade a couple years back. Taking a few quick steps back towards his table I whacked him upside the head.

"Easy! Easy! You know I like to tease," He said, attempting at a flirtatious manner. I wrinkled my nose in mock disgust.

"And you know I don't tolerate behaviour like that from a grown man," I told him with my hands on my hips, enjoying part of our daily routine. Despite his antics, Jiraiya was good guy who seemed somewhat like a crazy uncle to me.

"Well, I can't help it when you remind me so much of Tsunade," he laughed as I smiled. The mention of the woman always brightened my mood. She was like a mother to me more than my own mom, no matter how strict she used to be. She could get quite bold and rash but gentle when it came down to it.

"You just keep dreaming about the day you'll be with her and I'm sure I won't be too much of a problem for you," I smiled, teasing him about the confession he had shamelessly made when he was drunk during an evening here once. He failed at giving me an angry look and I laughed, continuing on towards Itachi's new seat. I almost skipped like a schoolgirl at the thought of seeing him again. I mean, he was a nice person even though he looked pretty intimidating at times, but he mentioned that that face was something he had inherited from his father. It would be nice to sit and catch up with him.

"Hey Ita-"

I froze mid-sentence as my eyes landed on the person sitting at the table. "You are not Itachi," I said in almost a whisper.

"Excuse me?" The man cast his gaze at me and I could swear I had definitely frozen over because there, sitting in front of me was THE Sasuke Uchiha – the handsome and cool and quick-witted younger brother of the marvellous Itachi Uchiha. His fingers tapped rhythms on the tabletop in impatience.

"Uh, Mr…Uchiha… " I said, willing myself to be more confident. It was a hard thing to do considering how it's not every day that a multi-billionaire hotshot comes to the diner and calls for you specifically.

"Sakura Haruno?" He said in a cool, flowing voice that's swept millions of women across Japan off their feet. It was pretty obvious that he was one of the most sought after guys, especially with those features.

_And he's sitting right in front of you!_ A crazed voice in my head squealed like a fan girl. I bit the inside of my cheek to steel myself and focus on work. _Just, breathe. If you mess this up, there's a very likely chance you could get less tips after this._

I silently took a deep breath and nodded at him. Itachi didn't talk about him much before, but from what everyone else has dished out about him, he was a composed and decisive man, which only added more to his list of attributes-

"Thank God. I thought you would never get here, or for this tacky place to open up,"

"Excuse me?" His statement almost came out as a mutter, but to me it was loud and clear. I've been working here since high school and while other people had definitely had that misconception of the place, I could not and would not stand this rich bitch's complaining.

"You better take a seat. We need to talk." What he said was probably meant to be a suggestion or offer, but with his voice made it sound more like a command. And that only helped pent up my irritation.

"Uh, what can I help you with?" I asked politely, pensively taking a seat across the table from him.

"I've been told that you're a bit cosy with my brother," he suddenly said. I stared at him.

"Sorry? I- you must be mistaken, Itachi and I are only good friends," I said as I made eye contact. It was important to do so to get my point across. "If anything, Itachi's like an older brother to me-"

"Really? Well, I assure you that I wasn't thinking of you as my brother's toy, nor did my brother mention that the two of you had an intimate relationship." There was a trace of mirth on his face. I tried to keep the intensity of my scowl to a minimum.

"I can see the two of you converse a lot about me," I told him and he held my gaze.

"That's smart of you to notice. However, that's not what I'm here to talk to you about," he paused, eyes sweeping over my face, assessing for any emotions. "I'm curious to know what in the world caused my brother to choose you, of all the women in the world…" he said quietly and I furrowed my brows.

What? Picked me…?

"…when there are a gazillion more out there who are much more presentable than you."

Excuse me?

"I'm sorry, if that's all you're here to inquire about, I'm sad to say that I wouldn't have a gist of info as to whatever it is Itachi has done that involves me. If that's all, I have to get back to work. Thank you for your time, _Mr Uchiha_," I said icily as I slid out of my seat and proceeded to walk away.

This ordeal was beginning to make me think that Sasuke Uchiha wasn't always the man that everyone thought he was. Before I could take another step away, something caught my arm in a death grip and wound me back into a seat.

"I don't believe we're finished here, _Ms Haruno_." He said with absolute venom as he held my arm against me, cornering me further until I could feel my back against the window.

"Let me frickin' go or heaven help you because I will not think twice about ruining that pretty face of yours! This may be a diner, but Teuchi 's dealt with stuck-up, misunderstood guys like you before!" I yelled. If any of his fans would have heard that, they would've ripped me to shreds. But I couldn't care less as my anger flared impossibly high at his attitude. What I do care about though, is the trouble I've most likely caused for Teuchi.

"Stop shouting! I hate having to talk to you as much you do to me but there is a problem you've made and I'm not going to stand by and let you do nothing about it!" He growled, his voice dangerously low as he glared daggers at me.

"A problem I've made?! And what, Mr Uchiha, is that problem that I've created that could cause so much inconvenience for the both of us?!" I hissed. He laughed at this, but there was no humour in it.

"'Inconvenience for the both of us?' And here I was thinking all along that you've had this all planned out. Are telling me that you didn't soften up to my brother and suggest marriage between us?" I blinked a couple of times before deciding that I had zero understanding of what it was that he was on about.

"I'll give you 10 seconds to explain what the hell you mean by that before I scream bloody murder. I have no idea what it is you're talking about and I'm not sure if I want to know." I ground out as my patience began to wear thin. His jaw clenched as a muscle ticked under his left eye and I could see how pissed he was. There was no humour or tomfoolery in his posture and I was slightly worried that his restraint would soon wear out and strangle me. Why he was mad was beyond me.

_Calm yourself Sakura. Don't be such a child. Attempt at a civil display of talk even if the man is a complete jackass. _

"Look," I said, trying to make non-venomous eye-contact. "What exactly is your business here in this '_tacky'_ little place, Mr Uchiha?" I said calmly, but it was evident that I'm not going to simply let his earlier comment slide. "Tell me everything you mean to say as if I'm hearing it for the first time because there's a 90% chance that I am. Please and thank you."

He seemed to have trouble preventing a sneer from forming on his face and slowly took a deep breath as if to steel himself.

"I'm here to propose marriage." He said in a voice so grave it sounded more like he was announcing a death sentence.

My brain took a couple of seconds to register what he had just said. Then a laugh erupted from me so suddenly that it almost sounded like a cackle. He glared.

"I'm sorry, it's just that it sounded like you just said you were here to propose marriage. That's a good one, who dared you to do this? Itachi? Where is he so I can give him a pat on the back for this hilarious prank." I suppressed another laugh and looked around the tables for Itachi's smirking face as Sasuke continued glaring harmless daggers at me. He seemed to be slightly surprised at my immunity to his glares before sighing in exasperation and pressing his fingers to his temples.

"Can she be any more of a superlatively imprudent woman?" he muttered to himself but his face wasn't that far away that it didn't go unnoticed by me. He seemed to sense my temper flaring at this because he held his hand up to silence me. "My brother is in Las Vegas at the moment. He gave me specific instructions to have you engaged to me by early Sunday morning which is when he is due back. If not, he will take over the family business without so much as sparing me a decent position in the company." His face was completely void of humour and I found myself beginning to believe that this was no joke.

My brows furrowed. "Why the heck would Itachi do that?"

The younger Uchiha raised an eye brow himself. "You call him _Itachi _like that and yet you wonder why he's doing this? Obviously my brother's smitten with an immature _gold-digger_ like you, but instead of marrying you himself, he's thrown you at me since you because you probably prefer young carcass,"

"If you're referring to yourself as the young carcass, you're terribly mistaken," All I could derive from his talk was that he was constantly insulting myself and Itachi to a point that it sounded like he implied that everyone should just bow down to him. "And if I were the _'immature gold-digger_' as you so brashly say I am, I would marry Itachi over you any time, seeing how arrogant and stuck up you are," I realise my insults were sounding a bit insipid at this point, but there were only a few things I could tolerate and Sasuke Uchiha's rotten attitude was not one of them.

"Things could be settled so much easier if you explain to me as to why Itachi would throw _this _hitch at me when I've worked to the driving the business into a better future. Explain why marrying a 19 year-old dirty mouthed, pink haired minx of a diner waitress is worth everything I'm already entitled to." His eyes swept over me as he said 'this' and it took everything I had in me not to turn his pretty face into something that resembled mashed potatoes.

"Thinking that way only proves how unworthy you are of _everything you're already entitled to_. As for Itachi's decisions on this, I think it's painfully obvious that you should ask him directly because I don't ever recall putting him up for this. Actually, I think I'll tell him what I thought about this ridiculous experience of having to talk to you."

His glare intensified tenfold and he suddenly tightened his grip on my arm, reminding me that he had yet to let go of my limb.

"I believe that the only thing you'll be telling him is that you've agreed to the proposal. He's made it clear that you shouldn't know any of this and that you have to agree to the marriage without bribery or compulsion."

"Right now you're proving how much of a pathetic CEO you'll be. You're a cheat and incapable of following direct instructions. You're also quiet the effortless jackass." I said as I attempted to free my arm from his hold. I'm pretty sure he was beginning to cut off the circulation.

"I'm only a jackass to women like you who play men like my brother in order to get what they want."

"'Women like me'? As much as I'd like to take credit of being such a genius about this as you claim me to be, I can't because even if I did try pulling some stint like that, it wouldn't be you who I'd want to get my hands on."

"Well I suppose anyone with a decent enough amount of money in their bank account would be good for you wouldn't they?" he glared daggers again and this time I almost felt a little pinch. "If anything, I'd be one of the few big catches around here. I'm also not old, obese or filthy-rich with a fake no-strings-attached policy to set myself a life guaranteed with failure."

It was that moment that I fully woke up from every women's fantastical delusion of Sasuke Uchiha ever being the perfect man. It was disappointing really, how so many people made him out to be such a prince charming when he was quiet an a-hole in real life. What I thought – what all women thought - to be a nice, charming dark prince was replaced with this guy who was practically reeking with self-importance and arrogance. The sharpness of his features were highly attractive, what with the sleek shine of soft looking dark hair, and skin so flawless that it made him look inhuman in a good way. But those looks that seemed so out of this world only proved why he was too good to be true.

"How I see it is that you've got an ego big enough to match your bank account. You must _dislike _having to deal with inevitable potholes like this in your seemingly perfect life."

"What I dislike is giving opportunists like you a chance to have your way with things because you're necessary for something I'm striving to achieve and maintain. Because I'm not as rotten as you see me to be, I think it'd be both in our interests to come to an agreement so we can get this over and done with." He paused as if to wait for my opinion.

"I'll listen so long as you don't pour out insults about anyone else as much as you breathe out CO2."

Ignoring this, he continued. "I'll agree on marrying you on the condition of a pre-nup that he didn't allow and for the marriage to last until I am officially appointed as CEO in 3 years' time." He looked like he had more to say, but the words were practically itching to get out of my mouth.

"Give me one good reason as to why I should agree to this if it'll only benefit one person?"  
"Because it won't benefit just one person." He said as he slightly narrowed his eyes, as if to reprimand me for being impatient. Without breaking pace in his speech, he said,

"Secretly as part of the pre-nup, I'm willing to pay you 600 million Yen for every year you're married to me."

I clenched my jaw to stop it from dropping to the tabletop.

_Holy frijoles, how many zeroes is that? And for each year? Now that is the kind of figure I'd want to see in my bank account. _ My inner self almost died at what he said. At the same moment though, Itachi's kind face flashed through my head. Though I was told it was his idea that we should get marriage and it was Sasuke offering to pay me in exchange for a 3 year marital relationship, it all just felt wrong.

"No thank you." Declining an offer of ¥600 million x3 was probably like declining a second chance at life, but my integrity was going to be at stake no matter what choice I make. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes further.

"Haste isn't a good thing Ms Haruno, especially when your life is in the pits and I know this money is something you're in desperate need of."

"You know jack-shit about what I need, Mr Uchiha." I spat at him. He somewhat looked smug at me.

"I know enough that your internet and telephone connections will be cut off sometime soon thanks to the unpaid bills sitting at home. The _home_ itself is over 6 months behind on the mortgage. You tried ignoring your parents' debt on the whole shebang by graduating early but by doing so you had to study abroad, which only proved to add salt to the injury since you're barely paying up on the interest of the fees. There will be no limitations if you sign the contract. You'll enjoy the luxuries offered being my wife and you'll even get paid a generous amount of money."

I could tell my cheeks were burning up so badly from humiliation by the way Uchiha had finally let go of me to steady his chin in his intertwined hands in a relaxed posture, studying me.

It was my turn to glare at him, certain that holes would start burning into his smug, fuggly little face because hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"While I could say that I'm honoured you would research the life of a dirty mouthed, pink haired minx of a diner waitress and opportunist-slash-gold-digger, I feel a bit peeved that you would go so low as to throw someone's struggles into their face to succeed." Absolute rage flashed in his eyes and it was clearly evident that he had lost the cool composure he had earlier.

"if it's the purity of the case that you're worried about, don't, because I'm sure Itachi's reasons for picking you as my wife will be relatively sound to you no matter how incredulous they may seem to be now. I believe now's the time to put what you've learned from Tsunade to good use instead of thinking like a romanced high schoolgirl."

My shoulders squared at the mention of Tsunade. How dare he bring her into this damned conversation?

"At least I perceive as the type to understand with emotions, unlike you who doesn't seem to have one good bone in your body – just the dark want to crush anything preventing you from making money." I retorted sharply.

"I definitely won't deny that I do like making a good fortune, but coming to an agreement will prevent any further conflict between my brother and me."

"I think his disappointment in us both when he finds out about the pre-nup will be a sure ticket to another conflict."

"The fact that you're more concerned with his disappointment than 600 million Yen each year is wildly amusing. I can see why you let your parents wallow in other miseries to distract themselves from their disappointment in you."

My palm itched to high five his cheek. This bitch was asking for a slap in the face, goddammit.

"Don't talk about my parents that way." I snarled in a gravely quiet voice.

He scoffed.

"They died from their disappointment in you, yet you insist on being loyal. It's heart-warming in a way, but one would think it's because of their wasteful pleasures that you're up to your neck in debts to all sorts of people."

"Whatever my parents had done in the past did nothing to impact your life, so I ask you to keep your opinion to yourself because they are not needed to be voiced. Your brother on the other hand is a good enough person to not keep secrets to himself for too long."

"Don't talk like you truly know who Itachi is because you don't!" he snapped at me. "Everything was perfectly fine until he drops this goddamn bomb about you." The volume of his voice was barely raised but he leant in close to prove the intensity of his words. "Now I have to become accustomed to having a wife that I don't need."

"Agreeing to be married to you for 3 years straight would kill me, no matter how wonderful the pleasantries are in the time being. It would be like agreeing to be used. I'm sorry, but I think you'll have to break the news to Itachi that I've declined your proposal. You've used longer than the time I could offer and I have _work_ to tend to. Good day, Mr Uchiha." I steeled my words as I slipped past him back towards the staff room, making sure there was a tone of finality to my decision. I bit the inside of my cheeks because I knew this would be something I'd regret.

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A/N:

Okay! Whoa that was long, and a bit boring considering that their first experience was them talking and spitting at each other. I suppose this first chapter was a bit of a filler on their backgrounds and stuff, but Naruto himself has yet to make an appearance! Stay with me! I'm working on making the following chapters better! Now, Torishiro-kun, please explain in a few points what the next chapter will contain!

**Torishiro: **** Urh…**

**Namikaze**

Tehehe! Does that name ring any bells?

**The character Masashi Kishimoto created as tribute to Bruce Lee**

Bushy brows is his nickname :]

**Oi! What a major give away. Anyway:**

**Sasuke to the rescue.**

Heheh, just tested your Naruto knowledge there. Anyway, please leave a review 'cause I'd love to know what you awesome readers think :]


	2. Chapter 2

**The Ultimate Mrs Uchiha  
****By iNk'-'Cr0w & TORISHIRO**

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Why hello, it's iNk'-'Cr0w!

Yay! I finally updated after a whole day of toiling in front of my laptop and I managed to squeeze something out of my brain. Now, I realise Rock Lee isn't all that bad of a character. He can just … get a little too emotional and overdramatic sometimes, especially when it comes to his crush. I'm sorry if I made him look really bad :L I guess this is how I tend to imagine Lee if he was real. And I suppose Sasuke didn't really come valiantly running to Sakura's aid, I might've exaggerated a bit on what I said in the last A/N. I think I failed at writing flashbacks too… sorry, haha. But you have been warned of poor fanfiction writing skills!

**Torishiro:**** Enough with the ranting! **

Fine, geez. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Torishiro, quick overview of this chapter, please?

**Torishiro:**** 3 words - Namikaze, Lee and Sasuke.**

Well, that's 4 words if you count 'and', 5 words and 1 number if you look at-

**Torishiro:**** ANY!-way, iNk'-'Cr0w does not own Naruto. **

Don't forget to review! Please, I'd really, really, really love to know what you guys think-

**Torishiro:**** Let them read now, ya stupid bird!  
**

{I apologise for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors, etc… 'Shiro's so mean ; _ ; … }

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**Chapter 2**

**{Sakura's POV}  
**

I grimaced as I proceeded to my kitchen.

_Must have coffee…_ A voice drawled on in my head. Even though I already knew it was coming, Sasuke Uchiha's prediction came true. I found that my internet and telephone connections had been cut the next morning on my day off when I tried to make phone call to a nice couple two blocks away to see if they had any odd jobs for me to do. The new found revelation of having no connection set me into unease. With nothing to do in the house, I opted for going out to see the couple.

_Might as well get some exercise, _I told myself. But I knew I hardly needed it since I barely had any fat from the lack of proper meals. _But you're definitely now going anorexic that's for sure_, my inner said as I paused in front of my full-length mirror. I had definitely slimmed down a few kg's compared to how I was in high school. _Well, at least your figure's a bit more accented now. _The voice laughed. _ You have been a little on a curvy side – Ok, enough. Let's go and see if Mr and Mrs Namikaze need help with anything. _ I told it and locked the door.

Jogging all the way there, I stepped up to the Namikaze's porch and rang their doorbell.

"Sakura, it's good to see you! Come in, come in," Kushina smiled cheerfully at me when she opened the door.

"Pardon the intrusion!" I said politely as I took off my sneakers and stepped inside.

"Not at all! Come, Minato'll be happy to see you," She chirped, ushering me into the kitchen where a delicious aroma drifted to my nose.

The Namikazes were a sweet couple I had met when I literally bumped into them when they were moving into the neighbourhood. It was a nice sunny Saturday morning that had gone sour for me. I was in 2nd year high school, running late for work thanks to an all-nighter of studying. I was in the middle of swallowing the bread I had grabbed when I ran straight into a red haired woman carrying a storage box. To say that I almost choked from the impact would be the short of it. When I had finally managed to unstuck the piece from my throat, I looked up to see the couple fretting about around me.

**{{ Flashback }}**

"Kamisama, I'm so sorry, a-are you alright?" The red haired woman seemed close to tears as she patted my back.

"I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm sorry!" I croaked as I bowed my head low in apology.

"That was close! You gave us a bit of a fright there. Are you alright?" A blonde, spiky haired man asked me as he came out of the house with a glass of water.

"I'm ok, I'm really sorry, are you alright - ?" I stood and offered my hand to the woman who was still on the ground from the collision. She took my hand, but just as I hauled her up she pulled me into a hug as she got to her feet and burst into tears. I found out later when Minato – the blonde, apologised, telling me that he and his wife were still shaken up. When I cautiously asked what he meant by that, Kushina told me that even after 17 years, they still could not get over losing their son in a raid at the hospital he was born in.

"17 years?! But you both look so young!" I blurted out and slapped a hand over my mouth. They both looked like they were in their 20's, so I presumed that their son would've only been 2 or 3 years old. Minato just chuckled. Kushina smiled, brushing my hair away from my face.

"So do you." Then, she pulled me into another hug. "Thank you for helping me up earlier," She said, drawing back but keeping her hands gently on my shoulders. "Oh! You're wearing a uniform – you must be late for something – Ah! Look at the time, dear, I'm so sorry-"

Minato laughed as Kushina calmed down when I told that there would be nothing to worry about if I just call my boss and do some overtime on my next shift. I offered to help with the move and from then on, we've always been on good terms with each other.

**{{ End of flashback }}**

"That smells good!" I said as Minato came into view. He turned and smiled at me, the apron tied to his torso swishing at his movement.

"Sakura! Would you care to stay for breakfast?" He said, pointing a spatula at some deliciously golden pancakes.

Once we were all at the table, we laughed and talked about word on the street. At one point, Kushina began to rant on about how some of the local housewives seemed to love watching Minato tend to their garden. After a few more laughs and settling the issue of me and boyfriends, we settled in comfortable silence.

I was close enough to the Namikazes for them to consider me as their own child. It was nice to think that I dear to them.

"If only you were our daughter," Kushina had absentmindedly said as she stroked my hair. We were in their garden after the delicious breakfast where I was getting grubby with the Namikazes' rosebushes. On my 17th birthday, they had mentioned how wonderful it would be if I was their child. When they said that my hair was like a combination of Kushina's red hair and Minato's blond, I made them laugh by saying I'd have orange hair instead.

"Thinking of adopting her, hon?" Minato said as he came around the side of the house with a watering pot.

"Really?" Kushina's eyes sparkled. I grinned. "But we couldn't. If we did that, she'd get sick of our love, wouldn't you Sakura?" She joked.

"Ohoho, please, I wouldn't want to impose on you that way," I smiled.

The rest of the day went by pleasantly and by the time the sun was setting the Namikazes had neatly pruned hedges of rosebushes surrounding their home. With my stomach full from the generous snacks they gave me, I waved to them with a smile on my face as I walked home.

My cell rang before I was even 10 yards away from the Namikazes' house. After taking the call from Teuchi, I hurried home to get ready for a shift at Ichiraku's.

It was well into the evening and Ichiraku's bar and lounge was brimming with males laughing, drinking and taking turns on singing at the karaoke machine. The chatter around the diner was louder than usual and it was only going to get worse as it goes later into the night. It was happy hour at Ichiraku's and the diner was short on waitresses, what with most of our female staff fighting over jobs in the kitchen. Yes, happy hour here was frightening.

And it just got scarier when I looked up to see a man walk in. He smiled a mighty bright and … blinding smile and waggled the thickest set of eyebrows at me suggestively. I inwardly cringed and politely smiled back.

Rock Lee was next in line as CEO of a fitness and training business once his look-alike senior retires. Though he had a completely fit body and liked to work out, it was just hard to get past the _auspicious_ bowl hair-cut, thick as brows and incredibly clingy attitude towards women. He was one of our younger regulars and was a sweet guy to all the waitresses, but he seemed to be super friendlier with me out of all the female staff. There was also the discerning fact that he's been especially substantial with tips and being all touchy-feely lately.

"It's good to see you, Sakura." Attempting a suave manner, he took hold of my hand and brought it to his lips. Inner Sakura gagged and screamed like Craig Mabbit in horror and I stood blinking in numb frozenness as he continued to press his lips to my hand longer than necessary.

"III-It's good to see you too, Lee." I forced a smile on my face. I fought the urge to wildly wipe the back of my hand on my skirt when he finally let go. I directed him to a vacant table by the window and took out a notepad for his orders.

"What would you like tonight?" I smiled politely again, holding the pen above the paper at the ready.

"You."

My eyes whipped to his face. "Sorry?"

"Would you have any recommendations from tonight's menu, Sakura?" He smiled that freaking blinding smile again, making me think I misheard. Inner began to hyperventilate. Lee was a really sweet guy that even went to lengths like asking if he could help us waitresses with anything. But sometimes he just tried too hard that it made him so darn creepy.

"Oh, um, we have Ayame's miso ramen on special tonight, along with Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki, and you get a free drink with every 2 dishes."

"Then I'll take 2 of Ayame-chan's specials and two drinks of your preference." He grinned. I couldn't stop myself from blinking repeatedly, feeling a bit disoriented by the flashing light.

"Ok, I'll be back in a minute." I wasn't one to meddle with a customer's wishes, but the fact that he had ordered 2 of everything was a bit suspicious. But who knows; you can build up an appetite from being so energetic.

After a short while, I emerged from the busy kitchen with the food only to find Teuchi at Lee's table, talking. Lee smiled without showing his teeth this time – thank kamisama – as they saw me approaching.

"Hey Sakura, Teuchi and I were just talking about how busy you've been tonight and he said it's ok for you to take a break with me." The dim gold lighting overheard made sure my paling face wasn't that visible. I still had about ten minutes till my next break. I quickly slipped a smile onto my face and turned to Teuchi.

"Are you sure Sir? There's still-"

"Oh don't worry about it Sakura. Besides, if it weren't for Lee looking out for you so much, I might've overworked my favourite waitress." My boss patted me on the shoulder. I laughed a "Thank you," as he walked away…

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ Inner wailed, clutching at her hair as she sunk to her knees.

"Take a seat Sakura, it's on me tonight." Lee laughed. I plopped helplessly down on to the seat opposite him and he seemed to have so much trouble keeping his giddiness contained. _Get a grip, Sakura. Be polite, kind and friendly because kamisama knows just how much kindness people spare him. If he starts touching you excessively, _then_ you can slap him like a bitch._ I yelled at Inner who was a wreck of sobbing sod.

"S-so, how's the business been going?" I asked as we started on our meals. The flavour of Ayame's special ramen helped keep my butt on the seat and I reminded myself to thank her for her cooking skills later. I felt a lot calmer once some of the warm ramen had settled in my stomach.

"Oh, I'm glad you asked. Revenue's been going really good actually. I'm confident with handling the ropes now that I've completed the apprenticeship."

"That's good to hear. Speaking of which, how's the old man going? I bet he still makes the newcomers do a hundred laps." I laughed.

"Yeah, he does. Did you know he offered his spare set of spandex when a client sweated too much? You should've seen the newbie's face when he found out where Guy-sensei kept them."

We both laughed. A short comfortable silence settled over us as we ate.

"I'm glad everything's going well," I told him sincerely. Despite his looks and antics, he was a hard-working person and there were times when we could get along quite well.

"Me too." he said without hesitation. I smiled and focused on my depleting bowls of noodles.

"Sakura…how have things been going for you?" he said, pausing completely to ask me. I paused too.

"Not that bad, I mean, I've still got a roof over my head. Teuchi's been generous with the salary too, so I'm fine." I smiled, feeling glad to know that he cared. But who was I kidding? Yes, Teuchi had been giving me an amount of pay bigger than usual. But even that wasn't enough to cover even one of the bills sitting at home. And I was most likely to not have a roof over my head by the end of next month.

Lee seemed like he didn't believe me but I gave a reassuring look.

"Actually, Guy-sensei's leasing me his penthouse when I take over the business next month. And with the position of CEO, I was thinking of buying it from him."

A warning bell went off in my head when his hand had inched over and across the table to clasp over mine.

"I know that you aren't doing so well with the financial stuff Sakura, even with the pay Teuchi likes to give out."

My eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. I saw where this conversation was heading, and though we've had talked about this before, this time was so much more sweetly sugar-coated and subtle.

"I've really been meaning to ask you seriously Sakura, though I know that you don't feel that way about me. But …"

"…Try living with me for a couple of months! Please think about it – you'll be safe and you could have anything you want. Just…j-just be my girl, 'because you already know that you're my world." He had practically yelled the whole time. Thankfully, the rowdiness of diner made sure he wasn't heard by the more sober people not too far away.

Oh, Lee. He really did work too hard. It was so trademark of him too to learn cheesy lines from Guy. But oddly enough, this confession made my mind go blank. Seconds passed.

Lee was a really good friend in spite of his advances on me. Sometimes, his creepiness was washed away by how sweet he could get. I opened my mouth even though I was still unsure of what to say when he suddenly straightened up in his seat started to wriggle and sway to the music.

"Lee, what are you doing?" I asked, bewildered at his randomness.

"It's my favourite song! I thought some dancing would lighten up the mood. Let's dance, Sakura!" he said. Then without further warning, he stood up and reached out to grab hold of both of my hands.

"Lee!-"

A dark shadow loomed over our table just as he was about to pull me out of my seat.

"That won't be necessary, Mr Lee." A cold, familiar voice said and we turned to see Sasuke Uchiha glaring down at Lee.

"Wh- And who might you be?" Lee looked so perturbed at Sasuke's sudden appearance. I could swear that I was too, considering how I had foolishly thought I had seen the last of him yesterday. I don't think I even thought about him at all today except for this morning.

"Sasuke Uchiha. As I was saying, whatever you offer to her now won't make her happy or even be enough to provide for her wants and needs." Sasuke said rudely, hands in his pockets as he cut in between us. Lee let go of me and stood facing the Uchiha challengingly.

"That's - !" I opened my mouth to protest at his resolution when Lee cut me to it.

"And why is that?"

"Sakura is going to be my wife, regardless of your affections towards her. I suggest you that keep your distance, and stop seeing my fiancée, Rock Lee." Sasuke ground out with a dead serious tone as he took another step towards Lee, almost blocking him from my view. There was something about his voice that made me think of Sasuke Uchiha ever being possessive, and it made my heart skip a beat.

_Snap out of it! His goddamn, sexy as charms will NOT fool us again, darnit!_ Inner reprimanded me, and I focused on Lee's face instead. He seemed to have about a million different expressions on his face ranging from anger, to disturbed and shell-shocked. His random moment of dancing did creep me out, but I realised that he must've panicked while I was thinking about how to answer. Even if he did tend to get smitten with other women around the diner, he wasn't being as serious as he was when he made his offer. Despite his consideration, I know that I never would've been able to give him a straight and honest answer. If I looked at it in a nutshell, I don't think I'd ever get used to waking up to Lee's super sweet antics every day. Inner was getting swept up in a whirlwind of mixed emotions inside me. This was all whipping up one hell of a headache.

I looked up at Lee only to see his resolve against Sasuke's intimidating vibes beginning to crumble. He glanced at me and I gave him an apologetic look – apologizing for either my lack of answer or Sasuke's attitude, I wasn't even sure.

"I… I see. Sasuke-san, Sakura," He said with a frown etched into his face. There was an almost unreadable emotion in his eyes as he hesitated. Sasuke's glare intensified and Lee set his mouth into a thin line before walking away.

Sasuke seemed to indulge watching Lee's retreating back disappear into the crowd. Then he turned to me and I turned on him.

"You, are probably the most inconsiderate, selfish and arrogant man I've met in my whole life, who is also a stuck up jerk and no doubt a tyrannical business man with a stone cold heart," I growled at him. He kept a straight face as I talked; as if he had been told off by angry women numerous times before.

"I'm also your future husband, so I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me darling." He said sarcastically, slapping down a manila folder of papers. "The contract is in there, along with the pre-nup and both are to be read, revised and signed by Sunday morning. Today is Tuesday. I'll be back on Saturday to see to it that you and I have an agreement." He said and walked away without another word, leaving me gawking at his vehemence and the ghastly folder of papers.

* * *

A/N:

Ok! Two updates in one period of holidays! That, is a lifelong record for me, haha. Notes:

Okonomiyaki: a Japanese dish that literally means "grilled as you like it", which is a sort of pancake made with shredded cabbages, I think. What goes into it and how it's made depends mostly on your preferences, which is why it's sometimes called a "Japanese pizza" in the US. The two general styles of Okonomiyaki are Hiroshima – where it's like a giant omelette, usually including yakisoba (Jap fried noodles), and Kansai – which is having all the chosen ingredients mixed together before being cooked like a pancake.

And the small stuff that some readers might not know:

kamisama: Japanese for god.

Miso ramen: Japanese noodle soup dish in miso based soup.

-san: suffix meaning Mr/Mrs/Ms, used as a manner of showing respect or politeness.

Until next time, reviews are greatly appreciated! *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*


	3. Chapter 3

**The Ultimate Mrs Uchiha  
****By iNk'-'Cr0w & TORISHIRO  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**{Sakura POV}**

The incident of Sasuke meeting Lee on Tuesday night was washed out with a week full of work. It's not that the recent shifts have been so hard that I was overstressing myself. In fact, the days seemed to breeze past that it seemed to already be 11:46 pm on Friday night before I knew it. Sasuke was coming back tomorrow to finalize the contract details.

I was already in bed with the lights turned off and my heavy eyelids drooping. It was only after a few seconds of blissful rest that Inner screamed something about the contract. Truth be told, not once did I even think about the papers during the past few days.

_Sasuke'll have a field day if he hears about that, _Inner Sakura said sarcastically as I gulped down a mouthful of coffee. It took about a little over an hour to read, reread and understand the behemoth of words on the pages. Plus an extra thirty minutes of thinking to myself before finally scribbling down my signature.

It was a slow and agonizing experience of fighting with myself. A bit crazy, yes, but this all meant that I would be marrying one of Japan's most rich and famous men in less than a month's time. And my name in ink on the contract in front of me guaranteed that.

The pre-nup that Sasuke had enforced without his brother's consent was plausible enough to understand. On the condition of staying married to that human icicle for only 3 years until he's been officially appointed as CEO of the Uchiha Industries, he'll pay ¥600 million for every year I stay tied to him. In an extra push to convince Itachi our 'love' I'll have moved in to the Uchiha Manor sometime before Itachi's return on Sunday, which means that something big and stressful is bound to happen tomorrow. There will be separate clothing and spending allowances, along with a separate bedroom. Seeing as it's a marriage of convenience, we are not allowed to do the dirty deed with an 'other person' in the marital home. Otherwise all the allowances will be cut, and the will of the guilty must be surrendered.

_This means that if he cheats and attempts to impregnate another woman on the Manor grounds, I have the right to divorce him before the 3 years are up and get the remaining ¥600 million from the years that we were still meant to be together. _Inner Sakura cackled somewhat deviously. But if I cheat and invite another man to my separate bedroom, Sasuke will cease the yearly payments though I'll still have to stay by him until the 3 years are over.

Of course, the chances of that ever happening are very low seeing as all I'm interested in is a lifesaving thing called ¥600 million. It sounds bad and underhanded, but I can imagine that it'll be much harder for Sasuke since he's a renowned lady's man.

I set my pen down on the table next to the papers. The kitchen light was the only bulb on in the house and the neighbourhood was deathly silent. I took one last look at my signature on the paper before resting my eyes and pillowing my head in my arms. You might as well say that I've now set my fate into stone.

It's never fun waking up to a sore neck. Or a runny nose and stiff body. There's especially nothing pleasing about waking up on the dinner table with only around 6 minutes to get ready for work. I could vaguely remember telling myself to rest for a few minutes before setting the papers away neatly. Of course, the minutes turned into hours and I discovered how hard it is to eat and breathe on the run when you have a blocked nose.

After a quick backpedal to pull out a carelessly thrown newspaper from the Namikazes' rosebushes and place it in their mailbox, I hurries again and Ichiraku's diner soon came into view. I rushed through the back door and signed in. I straightened my uniform before stepping out of the staff room. Saying a few Hi's and Hello's to the staff and customers, I made my way to the cluster of tables in the other side of the diner. I looked up just as I was taking out a pen and notepad from my pocket and stopped dead in my tracks. Just a few paces away were Sasuke talking casually with Teuchi. The damn cold bastard glanced at me as Teuchi's voice came into earshot.

"Well congratulations on the engagement, Sasuke-san. I presume you're both happy, seeing as how lucky both of you are to have each other." My boss laughed and the short look in Sasuke's eyes told me to play along before looking away as I approached.

"Good morning Sir," I smiled extra brightly at the man before turning to Sasuke.

"Hi darling, what are you doing here so early?" I said with a smile so forced that it almost looked like a sneer.

"Good morning to you too," Sasuke had a small smirk big enough to show his amusement.

"Congratulations, Sakura! You never told me you got engaged," Teuchi smiled that slit eyed smile of his and patted my shoulder.

"Ahaha, well, it was all kind of a big surprise to me, so ah…"

"Haha, yes, proposals always are. Sasuke here's just asked me if he could borrow you for the day and I thought I should let you go."

My eyes widened and I looked from him to Sasuke who was now expressionless.

"What? Really? Are you sure Sir-"

"Yes, yes. It's Saturday, Sakura. I don't think we'll be busy today." Teuchi said as he gave me a gentle push towards the staff room. "Go! Get changed and have fun." With that, he took the pen and notepad from my hands.

When I finished changing out of my uniform, Sasuke was seated at a table, his eyes already aimed at me when I came out of the staff room.

"What did you do to my boss?" I huffed at him as I slipped into the seat across from him.

"Nothing, he talked to me about a rumour going around the diner about us." He said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"You didn't answer my question earlier."

"I had free time. So I thought I'd come and take you off work. I told you I'd be here, didn't I?"

"… I assumed you'd come by later today, but not this early." I said, not bothering to hide my irritation with his appearance. "I haven't even returned the contract, yet you go spouting around how we're already engaged. What if I hadn't signed it?"

He barked a laugh of amusement. "I know you wouldn't have been able to resist my offer, Ms Haruno."

"What is it with men and interfering with work? Honestly…" I felt irked with his response. I have a massive suspicion that he was watching Lee and I that night from the very beginning; he had brought the contract that night and knowing him, the Uchiha was very observant and liked to be prepared beforehand.

"I believe it's because majority of the male population want your desirable, undivided attention." He said without hesitation.

"Well what do you know, the human icicle can flirt."I told myself out loud in attempt to not let it get to me. Ignoring this, he stood from his seat, slipping a bill under the mug before turning to me.

"Come. As you have read in the pre-nup, you'll be moving into the Uchiha Manor with me before tomorrow. But before that, we need to tend to your new wardrobe." I got up after him and he ushered me into a sleek black chauffeur once we were outside.

"I realise this is necessary, but clothes shopping …" I sighed inwardly.

"I need you to dress like a Mrs Uchiha since you will become one very soon." He said, looking at my current outfit which left me feeling a bit peeved. I glanced down at myself and wondered what his problem was. My blouse was a favourite of mine that Tsunade had bought me overseas and was presentable enough. My skinny khaki pants didn't have a single stain on them, and even though my sandals looked like gladiator footwear, they were womanly enough in my opinion.

We soon arrived at a very large and very famous shopping mall, where he led me to several different stores with big names. Even though we were here to shop for my clothes, he was the one picking out my outfits. After what seemed like a lifetime, several assistants were trailing behind us, carrying what looked like an infinite number of bags filled with designer clothes, shoe boxes and a whole range of accessories.

We were heading up to next floor when Sasuke suddenly held my hand in his.

"What?" I asked him. He pulled me closer to him and I tried my darndest not let the blush show on my face.

"The public seem to be getting a good glimpse of our engagement." He whispered, his face closing in to the crook of my neck. The feeling of being used flared in me and the blush I felt trying to surface was suddenly drowned. As much I wanted to kick him all the way down the mall escalator, I didn't want to cause a scene. I reserved the fire for later and spoke to him in a clear voice, even leaning into him a little. "What are we buying now?"

If he was surprised with my attitude, he didn't show it. "An engagement ring."

"To think that you don't have it already before telling people we're already engaged is amusing." I said quietly with a small laugh.

"Right you are. A future Mrs Uchiha shouldn't be engaged to Sasuke Uchiha and not have a rock to show it off." He whispered with mirth. For a minute there, I thought that he was agreeing with me until he opened his mouth about what a Mrs Uchiha should have or not.

"You're lucky Teuchi didn't notice it earlier. He seemed concerned about me getting engaged to you. It was a shame I didn't get to show off a rock I could knock you out with." I muttered loud enough for him to hear. He squeezed my hand as if to tell me that that was the wrong answer.

"Oh, yes please darling. Get me a ring with a rock big enough to be seen from outer space." I amended, dramatically batting my eyelashes at him. A ghost of a smile was on his lips before he tugged me off the escalator.

We arrived at the second floor and I immediately noticed the difference in the amount of people on this level compared to the ones below. The stores here looked a whole lot fancier, and while some shops had 'SALE' signs out the front, the price tags on the clothes on display were nowhere near being a bargain. But that was in my opinion – the thoughts of a person of my stature and budget. Like the few people who emanated wealth shopping on this level, it was definitely bargains galore to Sasuke. I was unable to hide my smirk when he quickly stepped into a jewellery store when something caught his eye. I waited out the front when he told me to stay and I turned to his loyal assistants.

"I could help with that," I kindly said as I reached over to a man carrying so many shoe boxes and bags that his face was covered.

"Oh no Ms, I couldn't let you do that," his tone of voice made him sound like he lashed out at me. I was taken aback, but I was already holding the paper bag previously hiding his face. The man looked to be around Sasuke's and my age, maybe older. Silver-grey hair reaching up to the middle of his neck was slicked back smoothly. His handsome face was marred with slight irritation at my actions.

"Ms, you'd have better put the bag back in my face before Sasuke-sama returns," he said gruffly. Great, even the men working for Sasuke acted like him. _Man, what a waste. Seriously, you just can't seem to get men beautiful both inside and out in this day and age. _ Inner Sakura sighed.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" I said to him, cheekily poking my tongue out at him.

A vein popped on his forehead and I smirked. "What did you say your name was?"

"Will you give me the bag if I tell you, bi – ma'am?" He caught himself. I raised an eyebrow at what he was going to say before nodding.

"Hidan at yours and Sasuke-sama's service," He said curtly before thrusting his strong arms full of shoe boxes towards me. "Now give me the box please Ms." He seemed to have such a hard being polite it wasn't hard to tell he had an incurable habit of swearing. I held onto the bag and turned away from him.

"Nope!" I giggled. The colourful string of curse words that came following out of his mouth wasn't said as quietly as he thought.

"Sakura," Sasuke called me as he stepped out of the store with a small bag in his hand. He immediately noticed the bag in my hands and took it from me before handing it to an assistant who had less baggage in his hands.

"Are we done?" I asked him as we walked further down the level.

"That wasn't the engagement ring." He said, heading towards another jewellery store on the corner of a break in middle of the level to the right of a wide mall fountain.

"Then what was that just now?" I asked.

"Something." He answered shortly.

"Jeez, you're such a girl today." I glanced back at the numerous amount of shopping the assistants were carrying.

Sasuke gave a small snort. "Only because I'm trying to make an example of what a Mrs Uchiha should be like."

"Like a spoiled woman? No thank you. The reason why I'm not the woman you try so darndestly to turn me into is because I _am not _the kind of woman you would prefer marrying." _I'm ME! _Inner shouted.

"Not now, Sakura." Sasuke murmured as we neared the store.

"Not now, Sakura," I copied him in a low voice.

"Kamisama, woman. Why must you act so immature?" He glared straight ahead of him.

"Maybe because I have a killjoy for a fiancée." I glared ahead of me as well.

We stepped into the store of showcases displaying exquisite jewellery. Several corners of the place were dimmed and the light shining onto the display of diamonds and gold made me feel like I was surrounded by stars. A short round man with a balding spiky-haired head approached us. There was ginormous smile on his face so stretched it almost looked sinister.

"Mr Uchiha! Welcome to Nami Shinju!" He shook Sasuke's hand before turning to me. I noticed the corner of his lips tick like his grin would falter at the sight of me.

"And you must be the much anticipated lady who's finally caught Sasuke-san's attention! I'm Gato, manager of Nami Shinju at your service." I shook his hand with a death grip, while giving him a nice little smile.

"Sakura Haruno. Pleasure to meet you Mr Gutter – I mean - Mr Gato."

Sasuke's arm wound around my waist. I glowered at him for his subtle scolding before seeing the upward pull on the corner of his lips.

"Lead the way Gato, we're busy today." Sasuke said in a business-like tone so professionally that the curtness of it all almost didn't go unnoticed.

I was beginning to think the short fellow had that smile botoxed onto his face because it was always there. I assumed any emotions he felt were expressed in his eyes, but it was impossible to interpret anything since he was wearing a pair of darkly tinted glasses. _Why the hell is he wearing those glasses indoors? Especially with the parts of the store darkened, it's a wonder he can see us at all. _Inner speculated.

Gato nodded so vigorously his head reminded me of those bobble-head figurines.

"Of course. Please follow me." He led us to a separate part of the store furnished to look more like a viewing room. "I'll have the staff bring the complete sets in a few minutes, until then I hope you'd like examining the ones we have organized already." Gato said as he gestured to an array of neatly organized rings before leaving.

If the rings were organized in a specific order, I wouldn't have been able to tell; the pieces all look so extravagant to me it was dizzying. Now that we were seated on the leather cushioned seat, the glass cases were lifted off and the stones and gems glittered brighter against the light. Sasuke was already peering at them with a thoughtful look on his face, as if assessing the value of each and every piece.

I on the other hand, was practically lost in all the shininess of the diamonds. Each piece was breathtaking and my mind was at a blank with what to pick.

"Sakura," Sasuke said and I turned to see him holding my hand, slipping a very beautiful ring onto my finger. A short gasp escaped my lips as the several tiny diamonds glinted, reminding me of broken glass. The smaller stones were set into sheafs to accent the one diamond set in the middle. Rays of light bounced off the hard edges of the centrepiece and I almost thought for a minute that it was broken into a gazillion pieces. The whole ring reminded me of a rose.

"It's beautiful." I said to Sasuke who had been watching me. There was a small smile on his face.

"Good. Now for the wedding rigs."

Mr Gato returned sometime after with a few more display cases carried by other staff. He'd been happy with our choice of engagement rings, mentioning something about the .75 vintage palladium going to good hands. It was quite a while before we finally picked out the wedding ring. In the end, we got a Channel diamond ring, which was of similar palladium band. The rings were placed down for sizing and we walked out of the store as soon as we were done with the paperwork.

"Now what are we doing?" I asked him as we went down the escalator again.

"Are you hungry?" he answered me with a question.

"You're the one who seems hungry since we're already heading towards a restaurant." I said before realising he had asked something concerning my wellbeing. _Wellbeing? He more likely just asked you without actually giving a crap whether you're hungry or not. _Inner Sakura scoffed.

"It's energy consuming having to deal with you." He said without turning to me. Whether he had made reservations earlier, I wouldn't know, but a staff member led us to a vacant table as soon as we stepped in.

"Obviously my youthfulness is hard for a man as old as you. You're practically as historic as a caveman."

This got his attention.

"I just turned 20." He narrowed his eyes at me slightly as we sat.

"Yeah? Why in the world are you eating food served so that it's easy for old men to chew?" I said after a smart looking waiter placed pre-ordered meals in front of us. Sasuke's plate was decked with what looked like lamb cutlets and nicely cooked potatoes, peas and other vegetables. I on the other had had marinated golden fish fillets and salad.

"Why do you think I ordered fish full of omega 3 for you?" he almost shot back loudly. We glared at each other before he quickly dialled a number on his phone. After relieving the assistants of tier duty, he turned to see me already starting on my food. The dish produced a delicious taste with the tangy salad and fish combined. The taste brought along a memory of one of Minato's dishes. The restaurant food was fancy, yes, but it wasn't as filling as the meals the Namikazes gave me. I suppose the difference between the two was that one was served with love, and the thought of that was filling enough. But moving in with Sasuke mean that I'd be seeing the couple less frequently, and it would be even more so after the wedding.

"Sakura." Sasuke said, noticing my pause as I thought.

"What?"

He offered the vegetables and meat on his fork to me, and I complied when it would have crashed into my face if I didn't open my mouth. I noticed the number of eyes trained on us when we stepped in and there was probably no doubt they were still staring at us.

"Are people looking again?" I said through a mouthful of food. The lamb and vegetables mashed together in a warm and juicy mix in my mouth, tasting a whole lot different from my dish.

"Yes." I took the opportunity and quickly stabbed some food onto my cutlery before shoving it into his mouth as he spoke. Handling my payback, he sought revenge and took hold of my chin, almost forcing my mouth open. Then he placed a single piece of onion onto my tongue. He must've known about my dislike for onions because he seemed to enjoy my having to eat the stupid vegetable by itself.

When I finished, I gave him a haughty amount of my fish, with the intension of choking him with the amount of food, but he only accepted it gladly. He swallowed with ease and smirked at me triumphantly. I pouted and glared at him, using my own version of the puppy dog eyes until he gave me potatoes and lamb again. Enjoying the taste, I smiled at him. To my surprise, he smirked back and placed his hand over my mine that was holding the fork and fed himself. He flashed me an incredibly charming smile for a nanosecond, teeth showing and all, before it moulded back into that arrogant smirk.

"Good grief, can you eat." I told him as Inner Sakura shook herself free of his charms.

"I got it from my irresistible fiancée." He answered with half-lidded eyes. I snorted, trying to ignore him as Inner Sakura took another blow to the heartstrings. I ended up smiling anyway.

It was well into the night later the same day. Sasuke spent the rest of shopping-full afternoon suddenly being almost a complete gentleman that I feared Inner Sakura might've suffered cardiac arrest. Luckily, he spoiled that princely image every 5 minutes with a nasty, criticising remark about what _he let_ me choose. Honestly, this guy seemed to like contradicting himself to some point. Then, he bought us both ice cream – which made Inner think of how much of a hot-and-cold person he was being – before driving to my house. When we got there, men dressed in thin black clothing were already trailing in and out of my house like ants, loading my furniture outside. I was completely devastated until Sasuke ensured me that they were his men, not a bank's lackeys evicting my possessions from my home. Sure enough, I spotted Hidan changed in a short-sleeved, black shirt helping another man carry one end of my couch on his strong shoulders. He seemed irritated with seeing me, and I poked my tongue out at him as he walked past, grumbling. He looked like he was going to retort at me but looked away and carried on when he saw something behind me. I turned around and saw Sasuke walking in my direction.

"Sakura."

"What?" He looked irked at my reply, even though I made sure there wasn't a trace of any sort of emotion. Despite being a sort of gentleman earlier, his attitude stuck out more noticeably than his looks to me now having spent time with him.

"We need to start now," he said and led me to the side of the house where the men had placed my living room furniture.

With only a few hours of daylight left and waning time till Itachi returns, we proceeded with sorting out my belongings. Since I was moving into the Uchiha Manor with Sasuke, there was a limit to the number of possessions I could take with me. For the whole of it, Sasuke decided that most of my things would be thrown out and I ended up agreeing with him. Seriously, the persuasive devil could probably convince a flippin' elephant that his mother was a mouse.

Happy that I complied, he promised to buy me a whole house complete with new furniture at the end of the 3 years – on the condition of me behaving myself during our time together. When I protested that that wasn't part of the pre-nup, it only led to a long, irritating argument that lasted the whole evening while we went through my things and only served to confuse many of Sasuke's men. By the time the sun had completely set, there was a lot of rubbish gathered at the front of my soon-to-be old house where another crew of men began to dispose of it. The only possessions Sasuke and I agreed to keep from my house were my more immediate belongings like books, mementos from abroad and things of the like.

We had now gone through most of the nooks and crannies of each room in the house. Sasuke and I continued through with the remaining rooms as the men carried out his specific orders on what things were to be thrown out and what was to be set aside for the move later.

Then we came to the point of going through my parents' room.

As much as I hated to say it, the day Sasuke turned up at the diner was a bit of a memorable one. Because one, I woke up from the fantasy of Sasuke ever being the Mr Perfect everyone saw him out to be. And two, because he brought a grim reminder of my parents as a point against me in our argument.

They had died from their disappointment in me. That's what he said, and it was true. Their cold attitude towards me started when I was in the middle of high school – during some of the hardest years of my life. I don't know what it was that I did to make them so miserable with me that they'd just up and leave one day. They never came back. Investigators found our family car half wrapped around a tree by a gravel road on the farthest outskirts of a town in this vicinity. Bodies were never found but there was evidence left in the car that they had suffered the crash. Whatever their reasons were, I was sure that it was hard for everyone. Just as I reached my first senior year, they died or as some people say it, disappeared and left me with a shitload of debts and things to pay. You could only thank Tsunade for picking me up and my job at Ichiraku's for my graduating early and still being an existence on earth. Otherwise I would've just given up on everything.

I loved my parents from the very bottom of heart; they were the best any kid could ask for, but there was just too much to handle from them disappearing overnight then for searchers to find our car screwed up against a tree in the middle of nowhere.

"Sakura," Sasuke said behind me, pulling me out of the overwhelming flood of memories and thoughts.

"Yeah?" I said in a light tone this time, so as to not irk him again. I turned to face him with my hand frozen stiff on the unturned door knob.

He suddenly placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me around, his face void of any expression. Then his right hand gently curled around the back of my neck, his fingers trailing between the roots of my hair. It was oddly calming.

"Let it go." Was all he said, staring into my eyes steadily. There was no sign of teasing, or any sort of humour in his eyes and Inner Sakura had gone from an almost fading existence in me at reliving the pain of my parents to an unrecognizable melted pink glob. There was such an intense and deep look in his eyes that was incredibly hard to discern. The word _swooned _flashed through me and Inner was instantly a properly shaped person. I realised tears had started to leak from the corner of my eyes and a few had trailed down my face. I mentally slapped Inner Sakura for having our guard down. I quickly wiped the tears away.

"Still as direct as ever." I scoffed lightly at Sasuke and the intense light in his eyes flickered away. I turned away as his hands fell to his sides silently. I faced the pale white, wooden door that hadn't been opened in a long time. Any feelings I had felt a minute ago were now locked away securely. Inner Sakura drew in breath. Then I turned the knob.

I pushed the door open to see two figures in the blankets still sleeping. Light from outside illuminated the room and I could see one of the figures holding the other close to them. I rushed to the left side of the bed and pulled at the blankets with such a great force they were stripped of the blanket. "_Wake up! Wake up!_" My voice came giddily out of my mouth.

"_Good morning Sakura,"_ my mother said groggily, smiling at me. Dad's arms wound around her waist tighter and pulled her to him. He grumbled, "_It's cold, don't hog the blanket dear."_ Mom and I laughed and I jumped up onto the mattress regardless whether there was enough space for all three of us. I landed my butt on Dad's side, knocking the wind out of him. He opened his eyes and caught me in his strong arms. "_Roooaaaaarrr. You have entered the bear cave at your own risk_," he joked, pretending to have jaws big enough to encompass the top of my head while I laughed my butt off as he tickled me. Mom joined in with a pillow to Dad's face, fending him off and telling me to run for it and soon we were all caught in a pillow fight. We stopped when I fell off the bed, only to start laughing again.

The breath that Inner held came out in a shaky breath. That was one of the best memories I have of them, living a normal life in the house, in this room. But that was a recall from 7 years ago when I was 12.

Now the room was dark and dusty. The things inside, – the bed sheets, photo frames on the bedside tables, clothes – nothing had been moved or changed. It was as if they never left.

It was when I started looking around the room did I realise a warm sort of pressure on my shoulder. Turning the lights on, I let Sasuke's hand stay where it was. It sort of surprised me that the light bulbs still work after all those years. Whatever light the bulbs gave off did nothing to warm the cold atmosphere mingling in the dusty air.

I took a step inside and tentatively pushed the windows open, drawing some incredibly dusty curtains to the side of the window. I looked to the left to see my parents' wardrobe slightly open, some of their clothes poking out on the hangers. Everything had been left untouched up until now. Sasuke had given me some space and traced his fingers around the photo frame he picked up from the table at what used to be my mother's bedside.

"Sasuke-sama, Sakura-sama," Hidan's voice came at doorway. We turned to see him carrying some cardboard boxes and Sasuke motioned for him to leave it by the door. Hidan left and I felt the need to glance at Sasuke, only to meet his eyes. We started scouring out the abandoned room.

When we finished dumping the bedding and pillows into a box, we pulled the curtains down. I reached for the photo frame holding a picture of my family of 3 before turning to the wardrobe before another flashback could flood my mind. Sasuke was folding the curtains with his back turned to me, and Inner felt partially relieved that he didn't have to see that.

Sliding the door open, I tentatively pulled out one of mom's blouses. I forgot she still had this. Inner said in a flat tone. The light, wavy trim of fabric around the neckline looked familiar and I couldn't help turning the shirt around in my hands.

"_Here you go dear,"_ Mother handed a strawberry ice cream to me, the faint structure of a Ferris wheel looming not too far behind her. She was wearing the same blouse and the light of the afternoon sun seemed to illuminate her outfit into a smooth, blended colour against the sky.

My body completely froze at the totally uncalled for piece of history. I felt a prick in the back of my eyes as I willed all the tears away. I heard the sound of fabric brush against the cardboard box before sensing Sasuke's eyes on me.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I can't do this anymore… can you finish up here for me? Thanks." I said, not really turning to face him fully, laying down my mother's blouse on the empty bed. Without waiting for his reply, I walked out of the room with my hand clamped over my hand my mouth to stifle any sobs.

I rounded the corner and went out to the back garden, where the lawn had overgrown and full of weeds. _Mom used to garden every afternoon. Now you can barely tell where the flowers used to grow._ I screamed at Inner to shut up, who had started letting loose of all the memories I had locked away to the back of my mind. Everything reminded me of my parents one way or another, and it was unsettling. Without giving much thought to it, I silently left the house and headed towards the Namikazes' house.

* * *

A/N:

Woah.. this chapter is definitely a lot longer than the other ones. Now I know what you're thinking, "We read that super-duper long chapter and now she wants us to read the flippin' Author's Note too?!" Sorry, bear with me. I wasn't sure how long I should let the chapters get, but I left out what was supposed to be the end of this chapter for the next one. I suppose this chapter was boring too, hey? Well, the last bit about her parents I guess.. but don't fret people, everything will work out in the end.. maybe.. mwuahahaha…

**Torishiro:**** Don't do the evil laugh Crow, you sound creepy. Moving on, notes:**

I've used Gato! If any of you can remember, he was the balding baddy in Team 7's first escort mission. Nami Shinju is just Japanese for "Wave Pearl" which is the store name I randomly made up because Gato's from the Wave country in the ninja world. He's also the shop manager since he likes money..

**Torishiro:**** What to expect next chapter:**

1. Some "rats". è_é

2. Fake kiss?!

3. I. K.K. { Itachi, Kiba and Kakashi }

4. Competitive horse racing

5. a quick swim in the pond…?

That may or may not happen in order… we'll see in the next chapter. When I eventually update. Maybe… don't kill me _ Until then, ciao!

~ Doe, _Ray-view, _Me, Fah, So, La, Ti, Doe ~ !


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